Watch of the Week - When traditions get canned and creativity prevails, greatness can happen - A Richard Mille story

Since Richard Mille opened its doors in 2001, they have always done things a little differently than the average high-end luxury brands that we all know. Firstly, their design is extremely recognizable and tied to the brand, typically featuring unique case materials and skeletonized dials, which are both loud and intricate. They aren't confined to industry standards and have charted their own path when it comes to design; they have also realized the benefits of partnering with athletes or other celebrities and have created limited production runs of watches that the two collaborate on. These usually fetch a pretty penny. Some famous examples of this would be the "Bubba Watson," A nonconforming golfer in terms of the old school traditions you would have seen in the 70s and 80s; he is loud, throws a fit on the course once in a while, a jokester, and most importantly his big and bright pink driver. Another example is the "Nadal," which was designed for high-impact vibration when he is out playing tennis, paired with a hyper-light case and Velcro strap for elite performance of the highest caliber. For the watch and the athletes, if you're going to drive the ball with precision, then you need a watch that will hold itself to the same caliber. 

Now, their watches aren't just the only thing that makes them different and creative; their creativity also extends to the back of the house when it comes to their advertising and marketing. In sports, there are long-term relationships between watch brands and their respective sports. Rolex is the king of this, keeping on the same theme as we did with Bubba and Nadal; Rolex holds the title sponsor for both organizations. This makes it incredibly difficult for smaller brands, such as Richard Mille, to sponsor or advertise events. So they had a brilliant idea. Instead of sponsoring the event, let's just sponsor the athletes. That's all people are looking at anyway on TV; they're not staring at the clock at Wimbledon; they're staring at Nadal pulling off his impressive shots. And so that's what they did. They found a creative workaround to get themselves on the big screen and, in my eyes, in a more prime position. 

Say what you want about the brand; I've heard it all. I am quite a fan of them and the work they do in terms of creativity and just doing what they see fit, not conforming to traditional standards.